United States Lighthouse Board Inspector's Stopwatch--SOLD

$0.00

The United States Lighthouse Board was the second agency of the US Federal Government, under the Dept. of Treasury, responsible for the construction and maintenance of all lighthouses and the navigation aids in the U.S. , between 1852 and 1910. The stopwatches were issued to lighthouse keepers and district inspectors to time the rotations of the lights. These had to be timed precisely because ships at sea identify which lighthouse they are seeing by the rotation of the lens. This watch is 2 5/16" in diameter and 1" deep. It is very difficult to get an exact date on these watches, but the movement is stamped with a number "1602". The other markings on the movement look to be "Brevete SGDG" , so I assume this is French made. The watch has some scratches from normal wear and the glass has a small chip near the 60 second designation as seen in the photograph. The casing has a deep, rich patina to its brass and on the side in period script is engraved, "U.S. Lighthouse Board". The watch is in working condition (the switch on the side will start/stop it, and the button at the top can be used to reset it. The dial on the back is to wind it, and it is in full working order.